NYC socialists mobilize thousands of anti-ICE activists for ‘rapid response’ battalions

The plans were outlined on Thursday during a monthly meeting of the Immigrant Justice Working Group, where members of the Democratic Socialists of America discussed preparations for potential federal immigration enforcement. More than 100 members attended the meeting, according to the New York Post.

“As we’ve seen in other cities, we still do anticipate a big wave of federal immigration enforcement,” a DSA leader told the group. “It can be confusing, it can be scary, it can be kind of uncertain what’s happening in New York right now. . . . But we want to be on our front foot if and when it does.”

The chapter is reportedly training about 2,000 DSA members along with another 2,000 non-members to participate in the effort. Organizers also called for volunteers with foreign language skills.

“If you speak Pular, if you speak Creole, if you speak Fulani – come find us,” a leader said.” We really want you on the team.”

Fundraising was also done during the meeting, with one member circulating through the crowd to solicit cash donations. Several attendees reportedly said they had been energized to protest following the death of Renee Good, the activist who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis after driving her vehicle toward an agent. Good was part of an anti-ICE watch group trained to “resist” immigration enforcement and disrupt operations targeting illegal immigrants.

“ICE is a violent organization and has been emboldened to respond to a lot of the work that many of you participated in,” a leader said.

Another DSA member said that the “immigrant crisis is part of the US imperialist project, and yet we treat immigrants to the experience of ICE.”

Anti-ICE activists nationwide have continued to push back against federal enforcement efforts, using tactics such as blowing whistles to alert others when ICE agents are nearby and coaching activists on how to interact with the media.